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BURN THE WITCH III - Jen Raven
Topics: Bakotopia, Bakersfield, Burn the Witch III, Jen Raven, october, 2008, Bakotopia.com
Posted by jenraven Wed Oct 1, 2008 14:51:25 PDT
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0 responses 1 comment Location: 706 Oak St., Bakersfield, CA 93304

BURN THE WITCH III: JEN RAVEN, CURATOR

The Value of Good Representation
By Jen Raven, Bakotopia.com contributor

Every year, a part of the Burn the Witch process is meant to be instructive by teaching our home-grown, emerging artists the basics of art shows.

We discuss the mechanics of the drop (and strike), pricing, hanging hardware, show etiquette, promotions, and more.

This year we focused more heavily on promotions - particularly self-promotions, with new writing workshops and photo-shoot workshops for participating artists. Our goal has been to help these artists internalize the fact that they have control over how they are represented. This is an important lesson to learn, especially as so many local artists represent themselves.

Artist statements and photos are so important. Viewers and potential buyers judge artists, partly, based on how we come across in our statements and photos, both in the media and at gallery shows. Just as an interesting bio and photo of an author on a dust-jacket can help sell books, so too can an interesting photo and bio of an artist help to sell artwork.


Above: artwork by Jen Raven

Writing workshops to help artists learn how to create better artist statements were taught by our own Princess of the Pen, Julie Jordan-Scott. The results were excellent. I had several artists confide in me that they had been apprehensive to write about themselves, but after the writing workshop with Julie they were a lot more confident - and pleased with their writing.

Original and beautiful photos also go a long way toward good representation. It amazes me that visual artists express such an aversion to having their photos taken! As a group, we seem more obsessed with the appearance of our work, than the appearance of ourselves. I’ve had so many artists say to me, in the past year, “I’m so ugly!” or “I don’t photograph well” or “I hate having my picture taken!” Fear of the camera, it would seem, is holding many of our local artists back.

This is an attitude that has to change (especially the part about being ugly … what rubbish!), and this year we set out to change it.

Nearly every artist in the show came to her scheduled shoot apprehensive and jittery. So, it was really a kick to see the looks on their faces as they perused resultant photos on the computer screen - their own beautiful, professional photos. At that point, I was hearing things like, “Wow … I look beautiful!” or “I can’t believe that’s me!” or “This was so much fun!”

Most of the fear, I surmise, stems from fear of the unknown … and bad experiences with lousy photos in the past (and stupid, stupid people telling little girls that they aren’t pretty, and stupid, stupid mass media reinforcing the stupid idea).

This year I was especially pleased to see returning artists, and how they had grown in confidence since last year’s photo shoots. These ladies made me so proud. They brought costumes and props, and stepped boldly in front of the camera, unafraid. And the results were fabulous! No fear! Now that’s what I’m talking about.

As you will see, from this year’s Wall of Infamy (and the lovely pictures in this article), the photo shoots have been a smashing success. These ladies are glamorous, interesting, adorable, fun, sexy, and bewitching. I have fallen in love with each of them as the weeks have gone by. I look forward to watching each of them grow, both personally and professionally, as we face the coming years together in our blossoming local arts scene.

NEXT: MEET BTW III'S BROOKE PEACE!


Also printed in Bakotopia magazine issue 38, 10-2-08

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Comment From: twinkie

Jen.. I went to your myspace to see if one of these paintings are going to be up for display/sale but I didn't find it there? I really like the second one and have a perfect place for it. In my BUTTERFLY room.